Treasure Hunt
by Sohma Riku
Summary: When a high ranked officer shows interest in her mother, Nina goes on a search for her real father, Jack Sparrow, to avoid a horrible fate. Things change for the worse though after meeting him.
1. Chapter 1

_Note: Story title is lame, I know, can't think up anything better at the moment, so please just deal with it. Then this story was never really meant to be split in parts, but since it's not complete yet and putting all of it in one chapter isn't really the best choice either, I'll just cut it wherever I feel like it. ^-^ There was something else I though useful to stare here, but I somehow can't remember. I just hope you enjoy reading and are willing to review afterwards. I really like to know what you think, as I recently discovered this is actually one of the few fan fiction stories I am writing in English. (Yes, English isn't my mother language, please excuse me for strange sentence.)  
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><p>Hi, I am Nina. This is my story. It started many years ago. I was a 17 year old girl living in Port Royal with her mother. Even though I asked my mother many times, she never wanted to tell me more about my father than two things. First, the sea was his first and only love, and second, he had a sparrow tattoed on his arm. When I was young, I believed he would return to me and my mother at a certain point of time, but when I grew older I started to realize he left us. I realized he would never return. Gradually I started to forget about my longing for him and got used to the life with just my mother. Since my mother got a child while she was unmarried, we were treated like outcast most of the time. Especially the high ranks did not like our kind. Still my mother managed to make a living with her own little shop. In the summer we sold fruits, vegetables and cakes. In the winter she cleaned houses of those with more money to spend. All in all we were really poor, but we survived.<p>

On a bright summer day, things suddenly changed. appeared in our life. He was a high officer, in service of the East-Indian Trading Company. Though we were the completely opposite of him, he showed great interest in my mother. It was probably the first time I saw her happy again since many years. Her happiness was not enough to make me happy though, I realized really soon what this would mean. If my mother married that kind of guy, we would suddenly move up in the ranks. I was sure everything I was used to would change. Most fearsome though, was the thought of an arranged marriage. I was 17 years old already, old enough to marry. I was sure this new father would try to engage me as soon as possible.

As I couldn't have this happen, I packed some stuff and went to the docks in search of the man who gave life to me. Somehow I told myself my mother would dump that high officer if my real father returned. On the docks, I suddenly realized how foolish my search was. I only knew two things about him, and only one of those two might be usefull in identifying him. I got lucky though, extremely lucky that is. Gathering all my courage, I asked one of the older shipmen who did not seem to be too busy.

'You mean Jack Sparrow?' He answered. 'I never met him, but the tales about him are quite exciting. I guess half of them are not even true, but still, he is one of the best pirates in the Caribbean. I heard he is the captain of the Black Pearl. A pure black ship, fastest in the entire world.'

I never expected things to go that easily. I was only out for a few hours and got the name of my real father already. I am not sure what I was thinking at that moment, but I was probably really shocked by the fact he was a pirate. Quite a famous pirate that is. Even I heard tales about Jack Sparrow. He was supposed to be hanged when I was about 7 years old, but he escaped back then with some help of the governor's daughter. I had never been able to verify that kind of information though. I am sure that for a moment though, I felt like I lost. There was no reason why my mother would chose a pirate over and officer, still he was my only chance of meeting and horrible fate, and besides that, I was actually trilled by the idea of meeting a real pirate. Since I was his daughter, I should not have much to fear of him. At least that was what I thought. And my luck did not run out. The old shipman was even able to provide me with a possible location of his whereabouts.

'Where you would be able to find him? Why would a girl like you want to find him? He will just use you. But anyway, if you are really persistent to find him, go and take a look in Tortuga, a pirate port. He will show up there eventually, I am sure of that.'

So that is what I did, I went to Tortuga. That opposed a greater challenge though. No ships would sail to Tortuga, unless they had no other choice. Walking around on the docks for hours, I started to grab the attention of more people there and the rumor I wanted to go to Tortuga was heard by many ears. Most of the shipmen tried to avoid me. If I wanted to Tortuga, I could not be up to something good. Afterwards I think I have been really lucky none of the guards caught me and put me in jail to question. When the sun was about to set, I was spotted by some shabby looking guy asking why I wanted to go to Tortuga.

'I need to find someone.' was the simple answer I gave.

'Who are you looking for?' I had to think about this question for a bit, but it was soon clear to me. It was none of his business. Apparently the guy understood and did not ask more about it.

'Can you cook? If you can, I will gladly welcome you aboard my ship. We will leave for Tortuga in a couple of minutes.' I was not sure if I could trust the guy, but anything worse than an arranged marriage could not happen to me back then, so I agreed. In the end there was nothing to be afraid of. The captain was harsh, but he treated me well. All I had to do was cooking the meals for the crew. Still I was happy I could leave the ship in Tortuga. The captain was unexpectedly sad to let me go, making me suspect the crew had been taking peeks on me while I took a bath. I left these thoughts behind me soon, focusing on the task before me. I was in Tortuga now, but I still needed to find my father, Jack Sparrow.

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><p><em>Next: Nina arrived in Tortuga and goes looking for her father. Will she be able to persuade Jack to come home with her?<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Note: Second part. Nothing much is happening I guess, and it's just really weird and fast, but I hope you enjoy any way. I guess this story is supposed to be fast and full of flaws. For those who didn't notice from the first part yet, Nina is actually trying to remember what happened a long time and tell that story. You can't blame her for forgetting half of the details. Maybe I'll write a detailed story sometime, though I doubt it. It takes too long to write detailed stories. I even fear I won't finish this story, because it's going to end up being really long. xD Please review.  
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><p>Tortuga wasn't at all what I expected. To be honest, I don't know what I expected, I just knew it wasn't like I expected. Easily said the place was inhabited by two kinds of people, drunken men and whores. Once more though, I turned out to be one lucky girl. Even though it took me a while to find a living person sane enough to answer my question as to where I could find Jack Sparrow.<p>

'Jack Sparrow? What's your business with him? Not that I care. You can find him in the tavern just around the corner. What was the name again?' I didn't stick around to her the man mutter more words, but went straight to the tavern he told me about. There I indeed found Jack Sparrow. It was hard not to notice the eccentric pirate, as expected he also had some drinks too much and was talking like he owned the place. I expected his latest hunt for treasure worked out quite well.

It was only hours later I dared to talk to him. Most of the men had fallen asleep by the amount of rum they'd drunk and the tavern had fallen quiet. It must have been somewhere deep in the night. Jack though was still awake, something that really surprised me considering I had seen him drinking more rum than all those men her together. Or at least it felt like that. He was certainly surprised when I suddenly joined him at the table. For a few second he looked at me inquiringly.

'Who are you?' he asked, rubbing his eyes like he was seeing a ghost. It was only at this moment I started to realize I might look more than him than I actually thought, in outside appearance that means. My clothes probably looked just as dirty as his by now and my black hair was all tangled up, as I forgot to bring a brush. I couldn't care less at the moment though, after all those years I had found my father after all.

'I'm Nina' I answered without any hesitation. 'I'm your daughter.' He looked at me with disbelief and wanted to leave; mumbling something like I was crazy and he had been drinking too much rum. I couldn't let him leave though at this moment, so I grabbed his arm, making sure he couldn't walk away.

'So you aren't a ghost then?' he said, looking at my hand clinging around his wrist. I didn't notice back then, but I probably looked pretty insane by then. After all those years I finally found him, and besides that he was the only person able to turn my horrible fate, so I believed.

'I want you to come home.' I said. He looked at me with a grin, pulling his arm out of my grip.

'I am home, luv.' He answered with grand gestures. Even though we were in Tortuga, I knew he referred to his life on sea. The sea was his one and only love after all.

'I mean home, where mother is.' I exclaimed. Now I really looked insane, I was sure of it. 'I want you to come and live with mother. You can't be a pirate forever!' First he looked as if he wanted to disagree, but then his face changed.

'Why do you think so, luv?'

'The East Indian Company is taking over the seas. The only fate waiting you as a pirate is death.' He wasn't impressed, I could clearly see that. He probably knew that already.

'And why would I want to go with you to where your mother is?' I wasn't sure what kind of face to make; in the end I decided going in defense wouldn't be the right way to convince him.

'I offer you a save and loving home. Why wouldn't you want that?' He nodded thoughtful.

'Say that'd be true. Why would you want me to come home now?' I fell silent. His whole life had been about taking, could I afford to tell him the truth? 'Well, there should be a reason, right?' I unconsciously nodded. He raised his eyebrows. 'Tell your old father already.' I hardly noticed that with this sentence he actually agreed in being my father, so I just honestly answered.

'I need you to win over the heart of my mother again and make sure she won't marry that stupid officer.' He nodded with a grin on his face. Though, finally knowing the truth, he didn't appear to be more inclined to come with me; it was more like the opposite.

'Not interested.' He said and wanted to walk away again. Once more I clung onto his arm.

'Please, come home.' I begged. Tears welling up in my eyes, I could see he hesitated once more. Rethinking everything I said silently in his head. 'Please.' I added once again. He wasn't convinced I knew, but at least he didn't try to walk away.

'Does your mother know what you are doing?' The question startled me and I tried to avoid his gaze. Still I could see the grin on his face. 'So the little girl came out here alone to search for me.' He was really amused it seemed. I couldn't really share this feeling.

'Maybe going "home" isn't such a bad idea after all.' He answered much to my surprise. As I looked up he had a thoughtful look upon his face. 'Life's getting harsher. It's just a matter of time before they catch me.' He was referring to the East Indian Company I expected. 'Being honest will be hard, but I guess I can pull it off.' With every sentence he said the smile on my face became more visible. I would have a father, my mother wouldn't marry that officer and I wouldn't face an arranged marriage. That is was I though at that moment. Too bad for me, my luck ran out right then and my future prospect changed.

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><p><em>Next: Taking Jack home.<br>_


	3. Chapter 3

_Note: This is the third part and actually everything I've written until now, even though I pretty much know where the story is going. I hope it'll become more interesting from here on, because I don't feel like the story is really interesting for people reading it. It only the writing process that's interesting for me. It's quite a strange point of view I am using. Or well, I can't remember I written any story from a point of view like this one. It's slightly hard on me, therefore some things just pass by really quickly. I hope it's enjoyable anyway. ^-^ Please forgive me my flaws, it's been years since I try writing again! (Not to mention I'm trying to write stories somewhere in between finishing my bachelor thesis one the representation of homosexuality in japanese BL movies..._

_ Please review!  
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><p>It's not exceptional to say my mother didn't like the return of Jack at all. He didn't mind her hateful stance towards him though and continued every conversation with a smile. As I asked, he tried to win over her heart, but I noticed soon my mother learned her lesson; never trust a pirate. Despite her displeasure though, my mother allowed Jack to stay. On top of these tensions, my father-to-be wasn't at all pleased with the fact I suddenly ran off for weeks without even telling my mother where I went. According to him my mother was seriously worried about me. Honestly said, I knew that even without him telling me, but it was not like I could change anything, it was just what happened. When his tirades finally came to an end after days, because I refused to tell him what I had been doing, he unfortunately enough discovered the existence of Jack. The fact he was my father was quite a shock to him, but he didn't blame me for that, neither did he blame my mother. Despite my real father being a pirate, he was willing to accept me and my mother as his family. It was probably at this point of time I knew he would properly confess to my mother soon, and I caused it myself. At the same time he convinced my mother to engage me as soon as possible to keep me on the right track and he also demanded Jack leave the house though but after some crying and pouting from my side he allowed Jack to stay for the moment, though reluctantly. I half expected he'd tell the East Indian Company about Jack's whereabouts, so they'd be able to catch him, but things didn't get that far.<p>

I knew Jack hadn't been able to settle on shore, and the fact his presence was disliked by both my mother and my father-to-be didn't really help out either. Actually I think he only kept up with it for this long, because it made me really happy to have him around. The stories he could tell where just absolutely amazing and honestly said made me yearn for a life on sea. Jack couldn't keep from warning me every time though that the sea wasn't meant for a young girl like me. Even though I hated these warnings, I understood they were merely a sign of his care for me. I started to trust him more with the day during his stay, but this trust was broken the night after Mr. Officer figured out he was my father.

The night was hot and moistly and I couldn't sleep. Turning around in my bed, I heard noise in Jack's room. I tried to ignore it, but couldn't any more when I heard the door of his room open up with a shriek. I left my bed and hastened myself to the hallway, just to find him walking off with all his effects. He must have noticed my standing there, because he stopped en turned around. Silently we gazed at each other, waiting for the other to speak. Not that I needed words, I knew exactly what was going on. Jack was about to leave. No matter how much he loved me, he loved the sea more. I realized I should have known that already for a long time. Asking a pirate to live on shore is just impossible. Keeping a pirate to live on shore is a harsher punishment than hanging that same pirate. Even though I realized all of this, I couldn't let him walk away without a fight.

'You are leaving.' I stated. He simply nodded. There were so many words I wanted to say at once, that I just started crying silently. He certainly noticed my tears, but didn't make an attempt to cheer me up, probably because he knew he couldn't.

'I'm leaving. It's your home, not mine.' His aloofness triggered anger inside me.

'You are leaving us once again!' I shouted. This time he came walking up to me, trying to calm me down, but none of his words reached me. 'You are leaving us again!' I repeated, while tears were rolling down my cheeks.

'I know, but I just can't settle you see. I am not made to live on the land; I am made to sail the seas, savvy?' I didn't react, I just kept crying, while clinging onto his arm. I didn't want him to leave, but I knew having him stay here wouldn't do him any good.

'Can't I come with you?' I begged, but he shook his head. Women on board bring bad luck. That is what he told me before, but it had nothing to do with this moment. He freed himself from my grasp and turned around.

'I am truly sorry Nina, but I have to go. Be a good girl.' That was the last thing he said, before he left the house. Inside my head I cursed him, even though I understood his reasons.

Only the next morning I realized how happy I was he left that night. Before the sun had set itself properly, our house was invaded by soldiers of the East Indian Company. They were looking for Jack, but they couldn't find him. They accused us from hiding him, only to drop all charges when I told my father-to-be he left that night. He was the only one, besides my mother, who believed it. The soldiers left and our house returned to peace. It was as if Jack never had been there. Lonely I sat in my room, knowing which horrible faith was waiting for me. In my room I found his compass with a little note he wanted to see me happy and demanded me to follow my heart. I had been staring at for hours, but it just kept spinning around, probably broken I thought and locked it away in the drawer. Sitting on my bed I desperately tried to forget about Jack, as I didn't want to feel the pain of loss. I always thought I missed my father, but it was only then I realized that wasn't true. I never missed him, I just yearned for him, but at this moment I honestly missed him.

A few days later, Mr. Officer proposed to my mother and soon preparations for the wedding were made.

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><p><em>Next: more than one marriage<br>_


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